Experience and Innovations Session, October 18

EMS Education Applications through

Distance Learning

Thomas Waurzyniak PJ~-, EMT-P/IC Prehospital Coordinator Rural Emergency Medical Education

Consortium (REMEC)

Introduction: Interactive teleconferencing is in its infancy when addressing the unique educa-

tion needs of the rural Emergency Medical Services provider. Teleconferencing is a

technology that allows instructors to interact with students in remote locations

via two-way television.

Methods: To bridge the distance gap and improve

accessibility of quality education on a regional basis, a rural emergency medical

education consortium has been formed. This

consortium comprised of regional hospi- tals, an air/ground ambulance service,

medical control authority and a college, seeks to become a part of the Information

Superhighway in northern Michigan. This three-year plan will install a compressed digital video system that will link rural

health care professionals to an interac- tive network spanning a twenty-county

area. An emergency medical curricula based on regional provider surveys, will be offered to EMTs, nurses and physicians

throughout this remote area.

Results/Conclusions: Significant opportunities exist for cost reductions by using telecommunications and

information technology, while improving traditional methods of obtaining education

and networking in geographically isolated areas. By spanning the distances separat-

ing health care professionals from resources they need, the benefit will ultimately enhance the quality of patient

care. This project was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services.

REGIONALIZATION OF A TRAUMA SYSTEM INCREASES UTILIZATION BUT DOES NOT INCREASE FLIGHT TIMES IN A HOSPITAL BASED AIR MEDICAL PROGRAM.

R Bell, Tpr I, B Tortella, MD, R Lavery; NJ State Police & NJ Trauma Ctr-Univ Hosp, Newark, NJ

OBJECTIVE Many air medical helicopters (AMH) are based at trauma centers and routinely transport all patients back to the sponsoring hospital. Trauma centers and AMH may resist regionalization fearing increased flight times and decreased number of patients returning'to the home trauma center. Balanced against this is the need for efficient regional utilization of an expensive health care resource. The objective of this study was to measure the impact of trauma system regionalization on a trauma center based AMH. METHODS Our trauma system has evolved from a single Level-I AMH receiving trauma center (Phase-l) to a partially regionalized system with 2 Level-i AMH receiving trauma centers (Phase-2) and to a fully regionalized trauma system with 2 Level-I and 3 Level-2 trauma centers, all AMH receiving (Phase-3). We retrospectively examined mission volume, flight time, receiving facility volume, scene to trauma center distance, and mission request origination during 6 month segments for each of the 3 phases. RESULTS 610 missions were analyzed, 138 (23% Ph-l), 159 (26% Ph-2), and 313 (51% Ph-3), indicating a significant increase in mission volume while mean flight time remained constant (32,31,33min). The AM}{ home trauma center received 109 patients (Ph-l) and 117 patients (Ph-3). The number of missions originating within 20 miles of each trauma center increased between 107% & 205%. There was a 33% decrease in median distance from the scene to receiving trauma center from Ph- I to Ph-3 (18 miles ~ 12 miles). CONCLUSION Regionalization of a trauma system increases utilization of the AMH but does not increase mission flight time. Regionalization also reduces flight time from scene to trauma center and increases the number of patients returning to the AMH sponsoring hospital, thus representing a more efficient use of this expensive health care resource.

418 Air Medical Journal 13:10 October 1994